Lambrusco

Question 1

Lambrusco: Style, Quality Price

Answer 1

typically made by tank method
principally in Emilia-Romagna
denominations are located between the River Po and foothills
Style:
red wine: ranges from pale pink to deep ruby.
violet or rose aromas and strawberry, red cherry and red plum fruit
medium to medium (+) tannins
high acidity
often residual sugar
most are frizzante
Quality:
mainly acceptable to good
small number of very good examples
Price:
from inexpensive to mid-priced

Question 2

Lambrusco temperature, soils, rainfall, vineyard practices, yields

Answer 2

• Location:
  • Between River Po & N Apennine foothills, near Bologna
  • Large area on plains & low hills (\~200m altitude)
• Climate:
  • Warm, semi-continental
  • Adequate rainfall (735 mm)
  • Late-ripening varieties = rain risk at harvest
• Soils:
  • Alluvial: clay & silt
  • Good water retention, but prone to compaction
• Vineyard Practices:
  • Many rows grassed to allow machine access when wet
  • Grassing also reduces compaction
• Yields:
  • High soil fertility + variety traits = potential for very high yields

Question 3

Lambrusco hazards, pests and diseases

Answer 3

• Ripening:
  • Late-ripening varieties = rain risk at harvest
• Disease Pressure:
  • Humid river plain = ↑ fungal disease risk → need for sprays
  • Sprays reduced via:
    • Sustainable viticulture
    • Better canopy management
    • Close weather monitoring
    • Preventative action
• Grapevine Yellows:
  • Growing threat
  • Managed by rapid removal of affected vines & vector control

Question 4

Lambrusco Salamino

Answer 4

• Variety:
  • Most widely planted
  • Used in multiple DOCs
  • Fragrant, deeply coloured, full-bodied
  • Med(+) tannins, high acidity
  • Often blended with other Lambrusco
• DOC – Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce:
  • N of Modena, closest to River Po
  • Min 85% Lambrusco Salamino
  • Max yield: 133 hL/ha

Question 5

Lambrusco Grasparossa

Answer 5

• Variety:
  • Thrives on clay & silt
  • Only Lambrusco mainly grown on hillsides
  • Deep coloured, full-bodied, high tannins
• DOC – Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro:
  • S of Modena, furthest from River Po
  • Min 85% Lambrusco Grasparossa
  • Max yield: 126 hL/ha

Question 6

Lambrusco di Sorbara

Answer 6

• Variety:
  • Pale, lighter-bodied
  • Med(+) tannins, high acidity
  • Some made using traditional/ancestral methods
  • Range of sweetness (dry to off-dry)
• DOC – Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC:
  • Around & N of Modena
  • Min 60% Lambrusco di Sorbara
  • Max yield: 126 hL/ha

Question 7

Lamrbusco winemaking

Answer 7

• Method:
  • Tank method = majority (preserves fresh primary aromas)
  • Trad. method (esp. Sorbara) & ancestral (undisgorged, bottle-fermented, Sorbara)
  • Quality-focused producers → drier styles (dry/off-dry)
• Maceration (short to limit tannin):
  • All varieties: 1–2 d on skins
  • Sorbara: 24 h in press
  • Salamino: 3 d
  • Grasparossa: 3–4 d (more struct., full body)
• Primary Fermentation:
  • After maceration, ferment w/o skins
  • 18–20 °C (retain fruit aromas)
  • Malolactic = blocked (preserve acidity)
  • Some store fresh juice/base wine at 0 °C; batch-make on demand for freshness
• 2nd Fermentation:
  • Tank, 12–15 °C
  • \~2 wk (frizzante), \~1 mo (spumante)
  • No lees aging (retain primary character)
• Dosage/Sweetness:
  • Drier styles = zero dosage → Brut
  • Sweet wines = stop fermentation at desired sweetness and/or blend with must/RCGM
• Outcome:
  • High-volume, fast-release, inexpensive sparkling wines

Question 8

Lambrusco DOCs:

Answer 8

minimum 11% abv for spumante
10.5% abv for frizzante (wines in the amabile or dolce styles are permitted to have a minimum of only 7% abv)

• DOC – Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce:
  • N of Modena, closest to River Po
  • Min 85% Lambrusco Salamino
  • Max yield: 133 hL/ha
• DOC – Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro:
  • S of Modena, furthest from River Po
  • Min 85% Lambrusco Grasparossa
  • Max yield: 126 hL/ha
• DOC – Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC:
  • Around & N of Modena
  • Min 60% Lambrusco di Sorbara
  • Max yield: 126 hL/ha
• Reggiano Lambrusco (Reggiano DOC):
  • W of Modena, in Reggio Emilia province
  • Max yield: 126 hL/ha
• Lambrusco di Modena DOC (Modena DOC):
  • Grown in Modena province
  • Very high yield: 161 hL/ha (can lead to lower fruit concentration)
• IGT Emilia/Dell’Emilia:
  • Large production
  • Yields up to 232 hL/ha

Question 9

Lambrusco: Labelling/sweetness

Answer 9

• Labelling & Sweetness Levels:
  • Spumante: Follows EU sparkling wine categories
  • Frizzante: Fewer sweetness categories, each with a broader range:
    • Secco/Asciutto
    • Abboccato
    • Amabile
    • Dolce

Question 10

Lambrusco players, vineyard size

Answer 10

• Avg Vineyard Size:
  • <3 ha
  • Size more than doubled since 2000 (due to consolidation)
  • Some growers left, selling land to others
• Vinification:
  • Most growers send fruit to co-ops or large private wineries
  • 95% of fruit vinified by co-ops
  • Co-ops sell most wine to large bottling companies, bottle the rest under own labels
• Riunite:
  • Bottles \~40% of all wine

Question 11

Lambrusco production vs consumption

Answer 11

• Production:
  • 200 million bottles produced
  • 20% DOC (mainly sold in Italy)
  • 80% IGT (mainly exported)
• Sales in Italy:
  • Primarily through supermarkets & hospitality sector
  • Small proportion sold through specialist wine shops (typically HQ)
• Quality Examples:
  • Very good quality wines with concentrated, well-defined fruit (e.g. Cleto Chiarli)

Question 12

Lambrusco challange

Answer 12

• Reputation Challenge:
  • Struggled with “inexpensive, red, frothy, sweet” image
  • Past exports of poor quality, high-volume wines hindered reputation
  • IGT Emilia wines are cheaper, making it hard to promote Lambrusco as high-quality
• Response:
  • 2021: Provincial consortiums replaced by Consorzio Tutela Lambrusco
  • Goal: Promote variety range and change perception of Lambrusco in Italy and export markets